


Fire Red

by wednesday



Series: Writing Rainbow [6]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23005978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wednesday/pseuds/wednesday
Summary: It’s taken Obi-Wan hours to get here. Hours of failed attempts at meditation and he’s no closer to clarity than he was yesterday, when he woke up certain he’d lost his mind.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Writing Rainbow [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1472090
Comments: 11
Kudos: 188
Collections: Writing Rainbow Red





	Fire Red

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yujacheong](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yujacheong/gifts).



It’s taken Obi-Wan hours to get here. Hours of failed attempts at meditation and he’s no closer to clarity than he was yesterday, when he woke up certain he’d lost his mind. Barely better than two days ago, when he watched the whole galaxy go mad and everything he’d ever known be destroyed. 

He takes a deep breath and enters the med-bay. The doors slide closed behind Obi-Wan with a quiet swish and block out the constant din of the rest of the ship. The sudden lack of noise makes the sight of Anakin’s still form on the bed more striking. 

The bandages covering his chest are red. An image of flames flashes before Obi-Wan’s eyes like a reminder. He feels his heart beating too fast with fear and only pauses for a second before he reaches out with the Force. It whispers to him that all of Anakin’s injuries are mending, closed already and that his life is not, was never in danger. Just as the report said. Obi-Wan remembers reading it the first time he lived this day. He believed it then and really, he’d had no choice but to trust it and hope he’d see Anakin again after the next battle or whenever the Council would see fit to assign them missions in the same sector. 

He’d thought he had no choice. 

This time he chose to disregard any messages from the Council and everyone else. Knowing how little all their efforts in the war will matter in the end made it easy. Too easy, perhaps, but he’s been tired of fighting for years. 

Obi-Wan looks down at Anakin’s face, peaceful in sleep like he hasn’t seen it in a long time. On the way here some part of him expected he would cut Anakin down, stop what he knows is coming before it happens. Wondered if this is the will of the Force in bringing him here -- to stop Anakin in time. Instead he brushes strands of hair out of Anakin’s face. Then does it again just to keep touching him, to make sure he’s real. 

Even now, knowing he’s damning them all he can’t kill Anakin. He did it once, and he knows with startling certainty that when that day comes again, when he fails again and Anakin falls again, he won’t be able to fight him. The very thought fills him with terror. 

It comes to him then. Of everything he has already lost once, Anakin is the one thing he could not bear to lose again. For a moment he tries to resist the feeling, but this has always been his weakness, hasn’t it? Attachment beyond what a Jedi should feel. 

Obi-Wan sits on the edge of the bed, leans down and rests his forehead against Anakin’s. For a minute he closes his eyes and just listens to the sound of Anakin breathing. Tries to match his own breaths to his. 

He knows now that he’s going to lose everything and everyone. Given another chance… 

“Please, I beg you, _try_ to be more careful next time,” he whispers against Anakin’s temple. There’s too much emotion in his voice, all the things he didn’t manage to release into the Force on his way here. He’s not sure what next time he means. Any of them. All of them. 

Another long minute and he sits up. He knows he should speak with the Council, should have done it the moment he woke up in the wrong time. But as soon as he realized what day, what _year_ it was, ‘ _Anakin is alive’_ kept echoing in his mind, pushing out every other thought. 

Obi-Wan is about to get up when Anakin moves. 

“Obi-Wan?” He sounds very young for a moment. His eyes are wide and still hold sleep and confusion. “You’re here.” There’s something like wonder in his voice, and it feels like a vibroblade between Obi-Wan’s ribs. 

Obi-Wan tries to smile. Anakin doesn’t seem to notice the effort it takes him and instead pulls him down clumsily by his robes. He uses the Force more than his hands; he must still be half-asleep. Obi-Wan doesn’t resist, goes down with a faint echo of the fond amusement he would have felt before and none of the reproach. Anakin keeps pulling until they’re side by side on the narrow bed and then snuggles closer. Obi-Wan presses their foreheads together. 

He’s spent his life trying to be a good Jedi and seen the order destroyed. Given another chance to stop it, Obi-Wan already knows what he’ll choose. He shouldn’t; a true Jedi would not. Now that he’s here however, Anakin in his arms, _alive_ , he can’t bring himself to ever let go. 

Whatever the purpose of bringing him back and giving him another chance, it has already failed. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Gammarad for betaing!


End file.
